Getting Ready for Jackson’s Birthday Party

Cake

Jackson’s second birthday will be coming up this Sunday the 30th. I hadn’t planned on anything elaborate so I went to Publix to order a cake today. Peter and I wanted to get Jackson a cake with the characters from the Cars movie but the baker said that they were out of the character figurines. She offered to call another Publix about their inventory and they turned out to be out of stock as well. We even opted to go for a Spongebob cake and they were out. I took matters into my own hands and called five other Publix locations about the Spongebob cake that I had taken a liking to (I generally do not like Spongebob but I will watch it from time to time.). This cake had two levels, was airbrushed with water, waves, and sand, and it looked super cool of course! I called the relatively new Publix nearby my house about the design. Although they did not carry the specific design, she did mention two other designs that I had not seen. So I held my breath and decided to go see if they had anything better. And they did.

The figurines on this Spongebob cake are slightly different than the other one but it still comes with two tiers, airbrushing, and it’s “luau-themed”. It was priced at $49.99 and I said I’d pay when I picked it up. I’ve had bad experiences in the past (not just Publix but in general) so I avoid paying upfront by all means. Typically, I would get a cake from Joli Kobe but like I said earlier, I didn’t want to go all-out this year. I just wanted to take him out to play, eat some cake, and take a few photos between the three of us. I wanted to buy some nice candles for Jackson so I suggested going to Party City and man, that trip changed everything. 

Party City Haul

I’m just going to say that I ended up getting a lot more than I had originally anticipated. I picked up a candle, then another personalized candle, then some personalized balloons, and then we came across the Spongebob section. We figured that we’d get invitations, then favors, then everything just kind of came together (and I am glad about that). We purchased some luau-themed items and next thing you know, I’m prepping favors while Peter’s on the phone inviting people to the “party” that we had never anticipated having. So I am telling you, if you walk into Party City, even if you don’t intend on having a party, you will end up having a party. 

About Me and Parties

I honestly like parties. I am just picky about them though. I dread the college and high school kids parties. I was never really invited to them until later on and their atmosphere seriously felt gross and chaotic. I like themed parties. I would love throwing a Halloween masquerade party with everything in the house decorated in Halloween decor while serving ghoulish martinis and etc. Scary movies would be playing the background while people could snack, bob for some apples in the corner, or even play with a Ouija board. So in case you haven’t noticed, I love going all-out. Go big or go home is just the way I like to do these things. 

I had asked Peter about Jackson’s birthday two months ago. I originally wanted to throw him a carnival-themed party. I started looking popcorn stands, hot dog rollers, snow cone machines, bean bag toss games, and everything related to a carnival. I even looked at the inflatable moonwalk things. Peter never made up his mind so I didn’t put aside the budget for it. I put aside some money for a cake and maybe some entertainment and that was about it. I think I will always keep trying to take things to the next level but I won’t really ask for a second opinion in the future because that really stalls everything. 

Home

I haven’t really thrown parties and there is another reason. I think my home could look a lot better. Many have said that they don’t mind the way it looks but I hate it. I know I could get better furniture instead of the cat scratched ones I have now. My cats just won’t stop scratching my furniture and it is starting to drive me crazy. They won’t even touch the cat scratcher. There’s a puke green sofa in the living room that belonged to the last tenant and it doesn’t match with anything in the house. I would like to have a lot of artwork to stop the walls from looking so bare. I feel like the place needs so much TLC and Peter’s the type to not care about these things mostly because he doesn’t like spending money on anything than electronics. 

So that’s how I feel about parties. I love them but I just have to figure out how to incorporate them into what I have at the moment. I’m looking forward to Jackson’s birthday party this Sunday although party-planning really does wreak havoc on my poor nerves, My poor, poor nerves (made me think of Mrs. Bennett all of a sudden). 

Have a good night everyone and see you all tomorrow. :)

 

Winter Vacay

It feels pretty good to have a break once in a while and being a student, you get used to the breaks. After a while, you are pretty much pre-programmed to expect the winter holiday, the spring break, and your summer vacation. I’ve got only three more weeks before I go back into the grueling school scheduling and I think it may be harder for my to stay social with others. I’m taking six classes this upcoming semester for Spring 2013 and it feels bittersweet. I want to start school already so I have something to do and I know I can get good grades, but I am also afraid of burning out and the possibility of getting anything less than an A. I know it’s unneeded pressure placed upon myself, but why aim for mediocre if you could give it your all?

I’ve been doing great lately and I hope you all have, too. I just moved my Christmas tree upstairs because my cats kept tearing it down and I needed a closed room with a door to keep the cats from swinging from it at night.Image

I think I like being the only house in the community that has a Christmas tree upstairs in the office. I realized that having the tree in the office with me, where I spend about 2/3 of my day, is quite comforting and therapeutic. All I have to do is look at the sparkly white tree and I’ll feel little bit more cheery than I did before. It may sound crazy, but try it. Or you could get a smaller tree while keeping the larger one downstairs to showcase. The smaller tree wouldn’t take up too much space and you still get a mood boost.

I can’t wait to post our family’s Christmas photos and open the presents, I’m usually not an incredibly festive person but it is a great way to close off the year. I’ll be blogging another post after this one today, a more formal how-to when it comes to being a motivated student.  Be on the look out for it and have a happy holiday, everyone!